By CONNOR HICKS
Staff Writer
In a story for Sports Illustrated that released earlier this week, Jason Collins, a member of the NBA’s Washington Wizards this season, became the first active player in any of the four major American professional team sports to come out as a gay man.
The 7-foot center, who was drafted by the Houston Rockets in 2001, wrote “I didn’t set out to be the first openly gay athlete playing in a major American team sport. But since I am, I’m happy to start the conversation.” He later admitted, “I wish I wasn’t the kid in the classroom raising his hand and saying, ‘I’m different.’ If I had my way, someone else would have already done this. Nobody has, which is why I’m raising my hand.”
John Amaechi, who played 5 seasons in the NBA, became the 6th player in a major American professional team sport to publicly address their homosexuality. Amaechi did this in 2007, nearly four years after he retired from the league. While many accepted and supported his coming out, he was openly bashed as well. Perhaps most notable among those who spoke out against Amaechi was Tim Hardaway, a former 5-time all-star in the NBA.
“You know, I hate gay people, so I let it be known,” Hardaway said in a radio interview with Miami columnist Dan Le Batard. “I don’t like gay people and I don’t like to be around gay people. I am homophobic. I don’t like it. It shouldn’t be in the world or in the United States.”
When asked if he would be accepting of an active player’s coming out, Hardaway answered, “First of all, I wouldn’t want him on my team. And second of all, if he was on my team, I would, you know, really distance myself from him because uh, I don’t think that’s right. And you know I don’t think he should be in the locker room while we’re in the locker room. I wouldn’t even be a part of that.”
These statements had to have had an impact on Collins. As a professional athlete, you never want to be a distraction that defers your organization’s focus from anything but winning. Furthermore, to anticipate such negative reactions from respected players such as Hardaway couldn’t have made it easier for Collins to open up.
However, perhaps to be attributed to the change in climate since 2007, Collins was accepted with open arms by countless individuals around the NBA. Kobe Bryant was among them.
“Proud of @jasoncollins34,” the superstar tweeted on Monday. “Don’t suffocate who u r because of the ignorance of others #courage #support #mambaarmystandup #BYOU”
Doc Rivers, a former coach of Jason Collins in his stint with the Celtics this season, said in a statement with Sports Illustrated, “I’m really proud of Jason. He still can play. He’ll be active in our league, I hope, and we can get by this—get past this. I think it would be terrific for the league. More than anything, it would just be terrific for mankind, my gosh.”
Perhaps what makes Collins’ coming out most remarkable is that he has not yet signed with a team for next season. The twelve-year veteran, whose contract with the Wizards ended with the conclusion of this season, wrote in the Sports Illustrated article:
“Now I’m a free agent, literally and figuratively. I’ve reached that enviable state in life in which I can do pretty much what I want. And what I want is to continue to play basketball,” he wrote. “I still love the game, and I still have something to offer. My coaches and teammates recognize that. At the same time, I want to be genuine and authentic and truthful.”
Basketball is game that requires a close connection with your teammates. The sport does not require the 53-player roster of an NFL team, or the 40-player roster of an MLB team; it requires 12. In order for a team to be successful, these 12 need to be completely in sync with each other, something that results from a mutual on and off-court understanding of one another.
It is a game that requires the trust of everyone on your team, a brotherhood that reinforces the notion that you have your teammate’s back and they have yours. If someone cannot honest about who they truly are, there is no doubt that this bond will be distorted and unauthentic.
Maybe this is something Jason Collins may now fully experience, because he surely deserves to.
